Cross Country

Cross Country's Estrada Named Big Sky Athlete of the Week

Oct 20, 2010

OGDEN, Utah – Junior Diego
Estrada of the Northern Arizona cross country team was named the
men's Big Sky Athlete of the Week by the conference Wednesday
afternoon after finishing fifth overall in the 'Blue Race' at the
Pre-Nationals Invitational this past Saturday. This is the first
career award for the Salinas, Calif., native during the cross
country season.

With another solid performance in
the can for Estrada, Director of Track & Field and Cross
Country Eric Heins is excited to see what the junior has in store
for the Big Sky Championships.

"I think his training is on the up
and up which makes his workouts even better," Heins said. "He is
excited to race at a Big Sky event once again alongside his
teammates. I know he will be aiming to finish as high as he
can."

The top-five finish for Estrada is
his fifth in as many races, and Heins knows that his frontrunner
mentality will help him persevere this postseason.

"He wants to push himself as hard
as he can for as long as possible," Heins said of Estrada. "He
knows he won't be successful sitting in the back, so he needs to be
up front so that he can gain confidence. Even when he is tiring in
a race, just being up front keeps him going."

Estrada's top mark led the men's
team to a fourth-place finish behind No. 1 Stanford, No. 4 Iona and
No. 8 Florida State.

In the latest U.S. Track &
Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) national
polls, the Lumberjack men fell from the fifth spot to No. 11.
Despite the dip in the national rankings, they still lead the way
in the Mountain Region.

The NAU women's team received 12
votes in the USTFCCCA national polls this week, putting them at No.
33 overall. This is the first time in 2010 that the women's squad
has received votes in the national rankings.

The Lumberjacks' next competition
will be at the Big Sky Cross Country Championships from Spokane,
Wash., on Oct. 30. Both teams will be vying to repeat as conference
champions.